Pedal-operated lock for pedestal-tables.



G. S. BURTON.

PEDAL OPERATED LOOK FOR PEDESTAL TABLES.

APPLICATION FILED 0OT.17, 1912.

Patented Oct. 28, 1913.

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UNITED STATES PATENT oFFioii.

CHARLES S. BURTON, 0F OAK PARK, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 EMIL TYDEN, OF HASTINGS, MICHIGAN.

PEDAL-OPERATED LOCK FOR PEDESTAL-TABLES.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES S. BURTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oak Park, in the county of Cook andState of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Pedal-Operated Locks for Pedestal-Tables, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The purpose of this invention is to provide an improved mechanism for drawing and locking together the two halves of a divided pedestal table, by means mounted at the bottom of the pedestal adapted to be operated by the foot.

It consists in the elements and features of construction shown and described, as indicated in the claims.

In the drawings :F igure 1 is a side elevation of a pedestal table equipped with this invention, parts of the table being broken away to condense the view,the parts being shown in unlocked position. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the locking devicewith the parts in the sameposition as shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section at the line, 3, 3, on Fig. 4, showing a special form of locking device adapted for making the parts of relatively light sheet metal compressed into form for requisite stiffness. Fig. 4c is a plan view of the device shown in Fig. 3.

The two pedestal halves, 1, 2, of the table equipped with this invention, are represented in Fig. 1 as sagging at part of the bottom when the members of the table top are closed together, as is liable to be the case in divided. pedestal tables of ordinary construction on account of which a locking device to draw the pedestal halves together at the bottom is needed. For the purpose of such a locking device there are provided engaging members, one on each pedestal half which are adapted to be engaged when the pedestal halves approach each other, but before they are fully closed together at the bottom. One of these members comprises a spring-supported lever or latch bar, 3, pivoted on a hanger, 10, at the bottom end of one pedestal half 1, and normally up-held to horizontal position by a spring, 11; the other is an abutment, 4:, which in the specific form of construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is a stud projecting laterally from a lever, 5,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 17, 1912.

Patented Oct. 28, 1913. Serial No. 726,198.

fulcrumed in a hanger, 12, at the bottom end of the other pedestal half, 2. These two members, 3 and 4, are engaged by means of a dog, 6, which in the form shown in the drawings is pivoted upon the latch bar or lever, 3, normally pendant from its pivot and having its free end provided with a notch, 6, which becomes engaged with the abutment stud, 4, when the two pedestal halves are advanced toward each other in closing up the table,,such engagement happening when the pendant dog, first colliding against the stud, 4, leans there-against while riding up over it, until the mouth of the notch, 6, overhangs the stud and the dog drops into engagement of its notch with the stud. In advancing to this position, the lever, 3, is thrust through the hanger, 12, and past the same, protruding beyond the outer side of the pedestal half, 2, on which said hanger, 12, is mounted, so that it is exposed in position to be engaged and depressed-by the foot of the operator. Such depression of the lever, if the stud, 1, were rigidly fixed with respect tothe pedestal half on which it is mounted, would cause the pedestal halves to be crowded together and locked by the lever, 3, swinging down past alinement with the dog, 6,that is, so that the line from the pivot of the dog to the pivot of the lever, 3, would pass the line from the pivot of the dog to its engagement with the abutment, 4-, the lever, 3, being stopped i1nmediately after it passed alinement, as described. This would constitute an entirely efficient locking device which would be releasable by the operator lifting the outer end of the lever, 3, with the toe; but since such locking is made effective by tightly clamping the two pedestal halves together, slightly compressing all. the parts of the table and stretching all the parts of the locking connections, the engagement is liable to be very firm and require considerable force to release the lock, and

such lifting action by the toe of the foot of the two pedestal halves, and said lever, 5, is then extended in the same direction as the lever, 3, so as to protrude beyond the pedestal at the same side as said lever, 3, protrudes, so that it can be depressed by the foot of the operator.

The construction described, by which the stud, 4, to be engaged with the dog is mounted upon the pivoted lever, 5, results in three pivots, viz :the pivot of the lever, 5, the pivot of the dog to the lever, 3, and the abutment, 4, upon which the dog pivot-s at its notched end,of which the middle pivot, viz: the stud, 4, must be moved above the line connecting the other two pivot-s and stopped after passing that line, in order that the locking which is effected by bringing about a similar relation between the stud, 4, the fulcrum of the lever, 3, and the fulcrum of the dog, 6, shall be effective; that is to say, if this relation of the first three pivots mentioned and the stoppage of the middle of them, as stated, were not effected, a buckling would occur about the said middle pivot of these three which would relax the locking action intended to be produced by the stoppage of the downward movement of the lever, 3, after the line from its fulcrum to the pivot of the dog passes the line from the pivot of the dog to the stud, 4, as described. Since the lever, 5, is to be de pressed at its outer end in order to carry down the stud, 4, in order to release the lock, and since it is exposed to downward pressure in the process of pressing downward the lever, 3, to locked position, and must, therefore, be positively stopped against downward movement during the locking action, it is necessary to provide means by which it shall be lifted again at the completion of the locking action so that it may be depressed for unlocking. In view of both of these requirements with respect to the lever, 5,-that is, that it be free to move downward for unlocking, and that the movement upward of the stud, 4, which it carries shall be stopped after passing a certain line,-the lever, 5, is extended from its pivot inward toward the meeting plane of the pedestal halves and the lever, 3, is provided with a stud, 8, which overhangs this extended end of the lever, 5, when the parts are at the position for locking by depressing the lever, 3, said stud being so positioned that it collides with the upper edge of the extended lever, 5, a little before the alinement of the three pivots concerned in that action, viz: the fulcrum of the lever, 3, the pivot of the dog to the lever, 3, and the stud, 4,occurs, and the carrying of the stud, 4, past the line of the other two pivots l is effected by the downward pressure of the stud, 8, upon the inner end of the lever, 5, rocking upward the stud, 4, which is at the other side of said levers fulcrum. An abutment on the lever, 3, positioned to overhang the lever, 5, at a point situated outward from the fulcrum of said lever and to collide with the lever, 5, immediately after the stud, 4, has been forced upward past the line mentioned, will operate in conjunction with the stud, 8, resting upon the other arm of the same lever, 5, to eifect the stoppage of the downward movement of the lever, 3, at a position at which the line from the pivot of the dog to the fulcrum of said lever, 3 stands just below the center of the stud, 4. The screw which forms the pivot of the dog, has its head, 6, extended to constitute such abutment. Thus the parts become locked simultaneously, both against the buckling upward of the stud, 4, pastthe line connecting the pivot of the dog with the fulcrum of the lever, 3, and against the buckling up of the same stud, 4, pastthe line connecting the pivotal dog with the lever, 3. It is convenient and tends to relieve the several pivots of some undesirable strain to provide also for the stoppage of the lever, 5, upon the hanger, 12, which, as shown, is in the form of a loop upon whose cross-bar said lever, 5, stops when the outer end of said lever is depressed by the foot of the operator, or otherwise in the action described.

In the form shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the movements and operations are precisely the same as in the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2, but in order to make the parts of lighter metal, the lever, 3*, corresponding to the the two arms of the dog being pivoted respectively to the two side bars of the lever, leaving open space between the two side arms of the dog,that is, the pivot not extending across the interval. lVith this construction, it is rendered possible to admit the lever, 3,; between the two arms of the dog and therefore between the two side bars of the lever, 3*, while still providing for the lines connecting the several pivots passing each other, as described, for locking. This construction, it will be seen, causes all the locking stress to be exerted upon the pivots without any side strain or tendency to twist, as may result from the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2, because inthat form tthe pivots necessarily ut sideward from the bars by which they are respectively carried. In the form shown in Figs. 3 and 4, since the dog requires a neck or bridge portion, 6 to connect its two arms, provision is made for this neck riding up over the inner end of the lever, 5, by extending said lever with a sloping edge, 5", as seen in Fig. 8.

I claim 1. In a divided pedestal extension table, in combination with the two pedestal halves, two members for engagement to connect said halves, one of said members being a lever pivoted on the bottom end of one pedestal half, the other member being an abutment carried on the other pedestal half; a dog pivoted on one of said members and adapted to be engaged with the other when the pedestal halves approach and before they are closed up at the bottom, the pivot of the dog being located so that at such engagement a line from its pivot to its engaging point trends down obliquely toward the meeting plane of the pedestal halves, the lever being extended so as to protrude for engagement by the foot beyond the outer side of the pedestal half opposite that on which it is fulcrumed.

2. In a divided pedestal extension table, in combination with the two pedestal halves, two members for engagement to connect the pedestal halves, one of said members being a lever pivoted on the bottom end of one pedestal half and extending across the meetlng plane and protruding beyond the outer side of the opposite pedestal half; the other member being an abutment carried by said opposite pedestal half at the bottom end; a dog pivoted on the lever and pendant from its pivot, adapted to collide with the abutment and hang inclined thereagainst as the pedestal halves approach, said lever having a notch which becomes engaged with the abutment at inclined position before the pedestal halves are fully closed at the bottom, and means for stopping the downward movement of the lever when the line from the lever fulcrum to the dog pivot has passed the line from the abutment to the dog pivot.

3. In a divided pedestal extension table, in combination with the divided pedestal halves; two members for engagement to connect the pedestal halves, one of said members being a lever pivoted on the bottom end of one of said halves and extending past their meeting plane and protruding beyond the outer side of the opposite pedestal half so as to be depressed by the foot, the other member being an abutment carried by said opposite pedestal half; a second lever on which said abutment is mounted fulcrumed on said last-mentioned pedestal half between said abutment and the meeting plane of the pedestal halves, and extended so as to protrude beyond the bottom of the pedestal at the same side as the first-mentioned lever, whereby the upward movement of the abutment lifts the protruding end of said second lever; a dog pivoted to one of said members and adapted to pivotally engage the other member, and positioned for such engagement when the pedestal halves approach and before they are in contact at the bottom, and when so engaged, trending between its two pivotal connections obliquely downward and inward toward the meeting plane of the pedestal halves, and means for arresting the movement of the second lever caused by depression of the first lever when the pivotal engagement of the dog with the abutment on said second lever passes above the line from the other pivot of the dog to the pivot oi. the first lever.

l. In a divided pedestal extension table, in combination with the divided pedestal halves; two members for engagement to connect said halves, one being a lever pivoted on the bottom end of one 01 said halves and extending past their meeting plane and protruding beyond the outer side of the opposite pedestal half so as to be depressed by the foot, the other member being an abutment carried by said opposite pedestal half; a second lever on which said abutment is mounted, and a dog pivoted to one of said members and adapted to pivotally engage the other, the first lever comprising two side arms spaced apart and embraced between the two side bars, respectively, for swinging up between them from the lower side of said first lever, and the second lever being adapted to pass between the two side arms of the dog.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Chicago, Illinois, this 9th day of October, 1912.

CHARLES S. BURTON.

Witnesses M. Gnn'rnnnn Any, LUCY I. STONE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the .Gommissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G." 

